DESCRIPTION: L=up to 1.5" (38mm). Overall black; often raise rear when disturbed. Flightless.
NATURAL HISTORY: Pinacate Beetles scavenge both day and night for food at all times of the year, thus are commonly seen. When approached by a person or a predator, they will stick their rear end into the air as a warning and then may squirt a foul-tasting, foul-smelling substance from a gland at the tip of their abdomen. This is enough to deter most predators, but the Grasshopper Mouse learns from its parents how to eat them (stick their rear into the soil and eat about half-way down). If you are wondering why a desert creature is black see "How can black be an adaptation to the desert?"
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